I know that there is no mechanical difference between a 2008 and a 2011 Sequoia, only that the towing capacity got re-stated for the 2011 thanks to the new SAE-J2807 standard. I am picking up a 2011 Sequoia SR5 5.7L 4x4 next week, and it is now rated at 7100lbs. That's a far cry from the 2008's towing capacity (What was it, 9100?). 7100 is actually less than the 2008 Toyota 4Runner V8 (7500), although if they restated that, what would it really be?

So how do you approach this? Toyota hasn't notified existing owners to not tow over 7100, but somehow I am supposed to refrain? I don't get it.

My tow package comes in at about 6800 lbs. I have towed it with a V8 4Runner in the past, but was really expecting the Sequoia to leave me enough room to feel safe. Now I begin to wonder....

Assuming you know how to load / tow, your problem isn't mechanical / engineering rather a liability / legal issue. If you're in an accident towing, your insurance co might not pay out if you're over "spec". Check with them. I don't know how warranty enforcement would work.

FWIW I tow a 35' 6700LB dry travel trailer, say 7200LB loaded (we travel light) and the 08 Seq Platinum tows it fine. Plenty of power. We're level & more stable than some bigger rigs I see towing smaller. Full disclosure - we're risk averse, more often than not gas mileage and or wind is the determinant of progress. We go over the Rockies & Kootenay mountain ranges many times in a year, haven't had to stop due to adverse conditions, but have slowed through strong gusting (50 - 70KMH) winds.

To be honest, as much as we love the Seq, we're not going to upgrade to a more recent model due to the new spec. We're going to hold on for 5 - 10 years then see what's around. Hopefully by then someone has a diesel 9 - 10k LB towing SUV. If not, 3/4 ton it is.

Good luck!

Assuming you know how to load / tow, your problem isn't mechanical / engineering rather a liability / legal issue. If you're in an accident towing, your insurance co might not pay out if you're over "spec". Check with them.

FWIW I tow a 35' 6700LB dry travel trailer, say 7200LB loaded (we travel light) and the 08 Seq Platinum tows it fine. Plenty of power. We're level & more stable than some bigger rigs I see towing smaller. Full disclosure - we're risk averse, more often than not gas mileage and or wind is the determinant of progress. We go over the Rockies & Kootenay mountain ranges many times in a year, haven't had to stop due to adverse conditions, but have slowed through strong gusting (50 - 70KMH) winds.

To be honest, as much as we love the Seq, we're not going to upgrade to a more recent model due to the new spec. We're going to hold on for 5 - 10 years then see what's around. Hopefully by then someone has a diesel 9 - 10k LB towing SUV. If not, 3/4 ton it is.

Good luck!

Specified dry weight can often be hundreds of pounds off. The only way to know for sure what your trailer weighs is to weight it.

....but was really expecting the Sequoia to leave me enough room to feel safe. Now I begin to wonder....

The Sequoia is a typical overbuilt Toyota... much of the vehicle qualifies for a 3/4 ton, bearings, brakes, etc... You should have no concerns about safety.

Overbuilt or not, it's odd that the max towing capacity has dropped from 10,000lbs to 7400lbs. That's a huge change. Accidents are unplanned, and I'm curious what would happen if somebody was in an accident towing a large trailer in a 2008 Sequoia vs a 2011. How would an insurance company look at it?

Really makes you think. 2600lbs is alot of towing capacity lost.

Oddly enough, I had a dealership stumped on this today. they knew nothing about SAE J2807. They didn't even know the towing capacity had been reduced. The had to go to the service department to look it up there, and the service guys were clueless. Guess I should have just told them.

Just going from what several dealers in Canada have told me, the old tow rating of 9100 lbs., of which the Canadian model is still rated, is overly optimistic. The new tow ratings are a more realistic representation of what the vehicle will actually handle safely. I've always towed using the old philosophy of never towing more than 85% of what the vehicle is rated for with no problems. From what the dealers have told me, the new rating closely reflects that practice.

I've chosen to ignore the issue. Trying to say my 2011 is only capable of about 1000 pounds more than my 2001 is not convincing to me based on back to back drives and back to back towing of the same boat. Buying a used one just because the owner's manual says something different didn't mean anything to me.

It depends a lot on what you are towing.

If towing a trailer, than the really limitation of the Seq is not the GVWR but its the payload - the same as it was with the old ratings. A tongue weight of 12-15% of the new GVWR is 852 - 1065lbs. The payload is - what? - 1,300lbs? Doesn't leave too much in terms of passengers and cargo once you connect the trailer. 13% (the number I shoot for) of the old 9100lbs is 1183lbs. There is nothing left for even the driver.

A boat would be different. You can tow with a lower percentage of tongue weight and then the lower GVWR would be the limiter.

Thanks JD, you're absolutely right, I've been meaning to get to the scales but honestly, it pulls it so easily I haven't bothered yet.

BTW thanks, your website (freshened up lately eh?) was one of the deciding Seq inputs for me. Looks like you've taken off the less celebratory aspects of the TT? Hope your summer is grand.



Specified dry weight can often be hundreds of pounds off. The only way to know for sure what your trailer weighs is to weight it.